Height adjustable legs that are used to support cabinets, appliances, furniture or the like are known. They typically comprise a vertically extending threaded shaft received in a corresponding threaded socket fixed to an appliance or cabinet to be height adjusted or leveled. The socket is fixed to the object, so that rotation of the shaft causes a foot of the leg to move axially relative to the socket to set the height of the object supported by the foot. To rotate or turn the threaded shaft in the corresponding threaded socket, the foot may comprise an engagement feature such as a hexagonal or square profile to which a laterally extending tool such as a spanner may engage. Alternatively the foot may be rotated by hand by a user.
A tool used for adjusting the height of the leg may engage the foot from a lateral direction. A tool such as a spanner when engaged with the foot extends laterally from the foot to provide a moment arm for turning the foot. A user adjusts the height of the leg by moving the handle of the tool through an arc about or around the foot. Movement of the handle of the tool around the foot can be impeded by adjacent feet, equipment, walls, or cabinetry positioned beside the object being height adjusted, or the object itself, such that the foot may be adjusted only through a series of repeated short arc lengths. Height adjustment of a leg may hence require a user to disengage and re-engage the tool and foot many times to turn the foot through a sufficient amount of angular movement within a limited arc length or angle of rotation. This can be time consuming and alignment may not be easy to achieve each time the tool is to be re-engaged. Alignment vertically, tangentially and radially is necessary in order to re engage.
Adjustment of a foot located at the rear of a cabinet or appliance may be difficult, as an extra long tool handle may be required to reach the back feet from the front of the cabinet, such that the adjustment arc for the tool handle to operate in is further limited. Additionally, alignment between the jaw of the tool and the corresponding engagement feature on a rear foot can be difficult due to the difficulty in viewing and/or reaching the rear feet of a cabinet. A user may be required to lie down on a floor surface to view the rear feet in order to properly engage an adjustment tool to the foot for height adjustment.
Tools such as standard spanners or screw drivers typically used to adjust height adjustable legs are not designed specifically for the purpose of adjusting a height adjustable leg. The use of non-specific tools or adjusting a leg by hand can present health and safety issues for the user.
In an alternative height adjustable leg, the threaded shaft of the leg may be received in a threaded collar or sprocket that is fixed in height relative to the object to be levelled, but free to rotate. Rotation of the threaded shaft of the foot is prevented, for example by a flat section or sections on the threaded shaft received in a corresponding socket fixed to the object to be height adjusted. Rotation of the collar causes the shaft to move axially relative to the collar to set the height of the object supported by the foot. The collar may comprise an engagement feature such as a hexagonal or square profile to which a laterally extending tool such as a spanner may engage. Adjustment of a foot threaded shaft and collar arrangement may have similar problems for height adjustment as described above; limited adjustment arc length and difficulty in aligning the tool and the collar for adjustment.
An adjustable foot for an appliance is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,556,227 (Miele). The appliance is fitted with a rod and pinion. The pinion engages with a sprocket so that rotation of the rod rotates the sprocket to adjust the height of the foot. The rod is supported by the appliance to be held in engagement with the sprocket and extends to the front of the appliance. Adjustment of the rear feet of the appliance can be made using a standard screw driver from the front of the appliance. The appliance is fitted with a pinion and rod for each rear foot so that each rear foot can be adjusted from the front of the appliance. This mechanism may be complex to install within the appliance. Each foot has an associated pinion and driving mechanism which effectively become redundant once the height is set. The front feet are adjusted by a standard screw driver inserted in a vertical slot of the foot. The screw driver is moved through an arc length and may be engaged and disengaged with a front foot a number of times to complete height adjustment of the front of the appliance.
A tool for adjusting a foot or leg of an appliance is described in JP1997-206147 (Takigen). The tool includes a ratchet mechanism comprising a ratchet lever or pawl for engaging a ratchet gear on the shaft. With the lever engaged with the gear, the tool is used to adjust the foot by moving the handle of the tool through an arc about or around the foot to rotate the foot, in much the same way in which a standard spanner is used to adjust a foot. The ratchet lever engages the gear in one direction of rotation, and disengages from the gear in the opposite direction of rotation, to allow the tool handle to be moved back and forth in a defined arc length around the foot to adjust the height of the leg in one direction. To change the direction of adjustment (for example from upwards to downwards) it is necessary to switch the lever arm of the ratchet mechanism between two positions.
JP2008-213058 (Takigen) describes a similar foot to JP1997-206147 but includes a horizontally pivoting tool head to allow the tool to engage with a foot around obstacles. The pivoting head reduces the arc length in which the handle must be moved to crank the foot for height adjustment. Like the tool of JP1997-206147, to change the direction of adjustment (for example from upwards to downwards) it is necessary to switch the lever arm of the ratchet mechanism between two positions.
In this specification where reference has been made to patent specifications, other external documents, or other sources of information, this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing the features of the invention. Unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to such external documents is not to be construed as an admission that such documents, or such sources of information, in any jurisdiction, are prior art, or form part of the common general knowledge in the art.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for adjusting a height adjustable leg, or an improved tool for adjusting a height adjustable leg, or an improved coupling adapted to be attached to or engaged with a height adjustable leg for interfacing with a tool for adjusting the leg, or to at least provide the industry with a useful choice.